From the Heart

Would You Read On? hosted by Diana Flegal

2012-02-01T05:23:00.002-05:00

Welcome to First Page Wednesday. This is a fun way to get 'over the hump' in our week and learn a thing or two in the process.
Please let us know if you would read on in the comment section below:

Scottish Highlands

July, 1599

“Will you stand there all day, Ronan?” she teased, flipping her long red tail of hair behind her shoulder. “Or will you fight me?”

Triona McAllister, the only daughter of Laird Douglas McAllister, and the most stunningly perfect creature that ever lived, faced Ronan over her little silver dagger. It was bad enough this had been his idea, but did he have to freeze up now that he had her there, in the garden, awaiting her daily lesson?

Ronan didn’t always loose his wits before her, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth like a callow lad. He was a full score, for pities sake; and McAllister Clan Champion. But today was different.

“Are you ill?” Triona questioned. Her heavy lashes narrowed over moss green eyes.

“Nay,” Ronan managed, strangled.

She stepped up to him in her plum gown and bare feet, her boots having been discarded under a rose bush as if they annoyed her. Creamy lace peeked from under a bodice that curved gently across the middle of her breastbone.

Triona’s head came to his shoulder, and she rose up on the balls of her dirty feet to reach his forehead. She fingered his long hair away, placing her free hand over his skin. Ronan brushed her aside. He hated being coddled.

“I am not feverish,” he retorted.

“Hmm . . .” She cocked her head to one side and pursed her lips. “Perhaps you dinna want to do this today, Ronan of the Raven Locks?” Triona used her favorite nick name for him.

“’Tis not that,” he grouched. Sakes, not that. Her lessons meant he had her undivided attention. It was the best part of his day.

Ronan reached for her arm with a calloused, sword-scarred hand, then pulled away again. “There is something I need to tell you,” he said seriously.

Triona’s full lips turned down into a scowl too fierce for such a pretty face. She sheathed her dagger with a flourish and crossed her arms over her ribcage. “What?”

Ronan took a deep breath. She was going to make this difficult for him. Of course she was.

Last weeks First page for children of the age 7-11 was shared by brave author Diane Estrella. You can find out more about Diane and her writing at www.dianeestrella.com

Thank you for joining us today. We appreciate your comments.

Potentially Tense Canaries by Andy Scheer

2012-01-31T06:00:00.007-05:00

Perhaps their experience with spell-check had made the canaries tense. They flew at me off the page, daring me to discover their sentence’s original meaning, before spell-check and its minion, “suggest word replacement,” had their way.

The sentence taunted me; what could it mean? Nothing in the manuscript I’d been editing hinted at the problems posed by Question 5:

5. What potential tensions canaries from a transition in mower, authority, responsibility and promise as we see with Abraham and Isaac?

I poured over the sentence, my curiosity peaked.* What had spell-check wrought?

I started with the easier word, “mower.” My mind recalled, then rejected the old joke:

Q: What do you get if you run over a canary with a mower?

A: Shredded tweet.

The context suggested the author had meant “power.” But canaries? What potentially could make them tense? I noted the problem in my “questions for author” document and moved on, hoping my subconscious would solve a problem that could only be computer induced.

Spell-check is wonderful. I use it—but I don’t trust it, especially if I’ve not given the document a line-by-line, word-by-word reading. Otherwise you end up with a paragraph like this, from a nonfiction proposal that once came my way:

I remember at the age of twenty-one thinking surly marriage was eminent and my prince charming was right around the corner. With each passing birthday I would try to quite the ache in my heart with the thought “maybe this year.”

Perhaps if she didn’t want a marriage that stood out so much, she wouldn’t be feeling surly. But I decided to quite my objections. Maybe I was the one being surly, condemning a writer for three correctly spelled typos in one short paragraph, not counting the lack of capitalization.

Then I turned the page and saw this:

I was like many eighteen year old girls when I graduated from high school. When I walked down the isle with my diploma in hand, my sights were set on the next exciting chapter of my life, college.

Aisle not be reading further, I thought. It’s no good atoll.

A half-hour later, my subconscious did its job and I returned to the canaries. With my editing knife, I cut them in two, then switched the order of two letters. Canaries = can arise.

5. What potential tensions can arise from a transition in power, authority, responsibility, and promise, as we see with Abraham and Isaac?

The sentence made sense, even if spell-check didn’t care.

* Yes, they’re intentional.

WRITING WITH THE STARS by Linda S. Glaz

2012-01-30T00:01:00.003-05:00

Original post Sept. 28,2010

Wow, great idea for a reality show.
Stephen King steps up, writes a couple paragraphs and then the“guest” writer fills in the rest. When done, the winning“guest” gets a publishing contract with Harper Collins,Simon and Schuster, Zondervans or any other publisher of his/her choice.

HEAVEN HELP US! SIGN ME UP!

Now, that’s the way it should come to us.Wrapped in a bow and filled with all the goodies the literary world has to offer, but . . .

REALITY REARS ITS UGLY HEAD
and here we are, plugging away at the keyboard, not with Stephen King, but with the cat,or the dog, or the ferret or (fill in your own helper). Chris Harrison isn’t holding a rose, waiting for us to finish the next great American novel.
“Will you accept this publishing contract?” And he hands us the rose.

WAKE UP, STUPID! WRONG SHOW!
Jeff Probst might be closer to reality. After all, to make it in writing, you need to persevere and be . . . A Survivor!

The Truth About "Featured" Ads on Facebook

2012-01-27T09:59:00.000-05:00

It was expected, and now it has happened. Facebook is displaying "paid" ads in people's News Feeds. If you haven't noticed them yet, Facebook is gradually rolling them out, so you'll soon see them.

In the past, Facebook has always labeled a paid ad as "Sponsored", but these new ads will be labeled as "Featured", which has a level of confusion for many users. At first, Facebook said that they would show only one "Sponsored" story in a person's News Feed per day, but once again that has changed. If you visit your News Feed often throughout the day, you may notice several "Featured" ads.

One of the reasons, Facebook chose to label these ads as “Featured” instead of “Sponsored” is because all of them must be related to friends and/or Pages you've "Liked." Advertisers can't just pay for an ad and have it display in your News Feed unless you have either interacted with them or their page in the past or one of your friends have done so. To make it even more confusing, you're written story can also be "Featured" as an ad, but only shown to people whom you originally shared it.

So what about YOU? Have you seen any of these "Featured" ads and/or stories in your News Feed? Would you pay for a "Featured" ad on Facebook?

The blind leading the blind by Terry Burns

2012-01-26T06:00:00.003-05:00

I used to have the time to be very active in our local writing group, to the point that I was a two time President of the organization. Unfortunately these days I nearly always have a place to be working conferences and events when their meetings occur. But that’s beside the point.

I sat in so many classes and crit groups and talked constantly with other writers and amassed a level of knowledge that I was so confident in that I began to teach in the group. The information that I handed out was eagerly received.

Then came the fateful day that we had a bestselling author there to present. He also sat in on my session for beginners. After it was over he quietly said, “You don’t really believe all that garbage you were handing out, do you?”

Well, yeah . . . I did.

I was stunned. I took him out to eat that evening and we talked for a long time. I came to understand two things, first that I had ceased to learn and started to teach, and second that I was getting all of my input from writers who didn’t know any more about it than I did. We shared opinions with each other until we came to accept it as truth. I gave up teaching until I could reach the point where I could be sure of my subject matter and have a strong level of confidence that I could believe what I was saying was accurate.

Nobody has a handle on exactly how things work in this business. Every time I tell a group that in my experience something works a certain way, someone is sure to point out that some highly successful person did it just the opposite with phenomenal results. Absolutely, there is always the exception that proves the rule.

I’m not a gambler, but I understand playing the odds. If most of the time certain actions are going to produce certain results, I feel no need to try and buck the trend and do the opposite hoping that I can be successful where others are not.

Everyone has something to teach, and I try to be open minded to it all. But am I more likely to learn from someone who has had significant success, or someone who has studied and possesses a lot of information but has not been able to prove that information with results? That was me, I knew a lot, but much of it turned out to be a collection of opinions rather than someone sharing what had proven successful for them.

I was the blind leading the blind.

I teach again now, with many years of experience under my belt, but I don’t JUST teach, I try to constantly learn. I try to learn because teaching without learning means I am soon passing on stagnant information as fast as this business changes. And I constantly tell people in classes and workshops that while I am confident information I pass on is accurate, there is always another way to do everything.

We have to learn to filter and assign weight to people we are learning from based on how likely they are to know the truth of what they are saying, I know these days I sure try to do that.

Would You Read On? hosted by Diana Flegal

2012-01-25T05:23:00.001-05:00

It is time for First Pages, Would You Read On? Let us know what you think of today's courageous writers first page. This is written for the 7 - 11 year old reader, so please keep that market in mind as you read.

Chapter 1

“But why can’t we go, too?” Madeline whined.

Madeline Anastasia Theodora Star, or as she liked to be called Mat, and her younger brother, Danny, wanted to go along on the missionary trip with their parents, however, they both knew they couldn’t go.

“You know we’re going away for three months this time,” Mom said. “Next time, when we go on a shorter trip, you two can tag along.”

“You kids will be going on your own exciting adventure,” chimed in Dad. “You guys are going to Grandma Theodora’s house for the summer.”

Madeline was named after both of her grandmothers: Anastasia and Theodora. They had not seen Grandma Theo since Mat was four and Danny three. Now, Mat was 10 and Danny was 9 and they thought that staying at their Grandmother’s house all summer would be totally lame.

“But Dad, there’s probably nothing to do there and we’ll be bored.” Mat stated.

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, “Staying with someone old all summer is no fun.”

“Danny,” Dad scolded, “She’s your grandmother and we are all a family that loves each other. Besides, Grandma Theo can’t wait to see you guys. She’s been telling all her friends about you.”

Oh great, Mat thought. Pinched cheeks and gray-haired people telling you old-time stories all the time was not her idea of fun. This was sounding worse and worse by the minute.

“We leave in two days, so pack your bags for the beautiful town of Turtle Creek in upstate New York!”

“Ugh!” Mat and Danny both agreed- this was going to be their worst summer ever!

Last weeks First Page submission was from published author Eddie Jones. Just one of his WIP's in progress. Congrats go out to Eddie on his recent sale, a 3 book Middle Reader Mystery series sold to Zonderkidz's. If you are the parent or grandparent of a child this age, be sure to check out Eddies books. They offer a fun read to children of all ages. :-)

He appreciates your comments and suggestions, many of which were posted on FB under Diana's post of this page.

Cutting Empty Phrases by Andy Scheer

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

“Vigorous writing is concise,” says William Strunk Jr. in his classic book The Elements of Style. “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.”

I've put that principle in practice as I've been editing an 87,000-word nonfiction manuscript the author plans to self-publish. At 120 pages into the 270-page document, I've cut nearly 3,000 words. This puts me on pace to cut 6,900 words from the entire manuscript. That's just under eight percent.

I'm not even doing an aggressive edit. I'm mostly trimming the fat and filler—words that occupy space, but add nothing to the meaning. (Think of how, a few decades back when the price of beef soared, grocery stores added soy to their cheaper grade of hamburger. It added bulk, but did nothing to enhance the flavor.)

As I've edited, I've saved some examples of the fluff I've cut. Here are a few of the empty phrases, in the order they appeared in the manuscript.

Plan of action—What other kind is there? Just say “plan.”

Even though—Do you really need to start a sentence with double introductory prepositions? It's usually enough just to say “though.”

To be a blessing to—Does this “Christianese” phrase mean more than “to bless”?

In order to—Usually out of order. Replace with “to.”

Pose a threat to—Bulky and passive. Replace with “threaten.”

One particular time—Unless you're writing the start of a contemporary academic fairy tale, “once” is enough.

And a few longer examples, before and after:

Before: There are some still, it seems, who take the opposite extreme.

After: Some take the opposite extreme.

Before: But there are other times when

After: Other times,

We all let such phrases creep into our writing. As a novelist, you'll want to use them—if a character is an academic, attorney, or politician. Instant characterization.

Otherwise, who wants verbal textured soy protein?

Partners in Crime by Linda S. Glaz

2012-01-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

It is painfully obvious when an agent receives a submission that only the individual’s: wife, mom, sister, brother, dad, best friend, or other has read. There are often so many mistakes that it’s difficult to reply with any encouragement. How do I know this? Because early on, I sent out submissions in much the same condition. And received far kinder words of encouragement than I deserved.

And let’s face it, we all can’t afford to attend a writing school that costs nearly as much as a decent used car. So what can we do to increase our chances of getting a “yes” in return for all of our efforts?

Let’s pretend there aren’t hundreds of absolutely wonderful books out there to help us on our journeys. Or that free classes by the dozens don’t exist on line. Or that Faithwriters, ACFW, and myriad other organizations aren’t available for us to dissect and digest their accumulative brain power. Where does that leave us?

CRITIQUE PARTNERS!

Partners in crime. Partners who will be honest and helpful, who will give you an evaluation that will move you forward, not pat your hand or your ego. When I got serious about writing, only four years ago, and fifteen years after I actually started, and by serious, I mean willing to start to hone my craft and not merely write, write, write. Anyway, at that point, I dug into classes, attended more conferences, and began online relationships with a virtual stranger I’d met through ACFW. We were kind to each other, tried to offer tidbits of helpful knowledge, and then took off the gloves. We gradually added four more to our little BAND OF BROTHERS, sorry ladies, it doesn’t have the same military ring the other way, and decided the only way to truly get better was to dig deep, and toss all the egos. Now, mind you, we did this kindly, but honestly. We offered hope with each need to do better, and we worked at it through the times when life kicked our butts-hope that’s okay-but we prayed each other through, rewrote, re-edited, and re-applied God’s principles until we all knew we were headed in the right direction. Everyone is now published, agented, or all of the above. And those who aren’t pubbed yet are having serious reads by editors.

I could be sitting here saying, “Yessir. I’ve been writing for 20 years! Just no one out there smart enough to pick up this wonderful novel. My cousin said so.” And doing nothing to improve. Convincing myself the agents/editors just don’t like me. Personality problems, God’s timing isn’t right, I’ve written it ten times and that’s enough, right?

If you’re the hamster running the wheel, jump off! Find a crit group with writers at all levels, each has something wonderful to offer, and start to take your talent to another level. Be thankful for mom and her assessment, but let other writers steer you to success. Maybe God’s timing isn’t your timing because He’s doing your part and you aren’t.

CRITIQUE PARTNERS in crime. Invaluable!

The Author "Back Lists" Are Fading to an "Also Available List" by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2012-01-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'm sure agents often feel that new writers expect them to make an award winning deal with a major publisher with all the bells and whistles as soon as they sign a contract to represent them. While that may happen on occasion, the truth is, often it's a standard contract with a publisher that includes a boiler-plate publicity plan--the same one they use for all their new and midlist authors.

I believe the same expectation holds true for publicists. New authors often hope a publicist's efforts will skyrocket their book to all the major bestseller lists and all kinds of bookings on radio, TV and podcasts shows will start pouring in along with major speaking engagements. The truth is, this can happen, but isn't likely. You will receive more publicity than you might through your own efforts. A publicist will raise awareness about your book, sales may increase while your campaign is being launched, but as soon as the campaign is over and excitement about the book fades, so will the sales.

I'm not writing this to depress you, but to educate you on realistic expectations, and to equip you with how best to deal with this reality. Most of us, don't have the funds lying around to keep a permanent publicity campaign going. We would go bankrupt. Yet, for as long as our books are available, they need to sell--and thanks to the changes e-publishing has brought, our digital books will never go out of print. This means your efforts in building your platform will bring even more impact in long-term sales.

My point is this, continue to plan book launch campaigns when you have a new book releasing. These efforts will be crucial in getting your book started just like early preschool education does in a child's success in school and later in life through college and on the job. Early education builds the frame work in how a child learns, changing that becomes much harder later in life once those learning habits have been developed. It's the same way with our book launches as we prepare the frame work for future book sales after the launch.

Major reviews have already been established and uploaded on sites like Amazon, B&N, ChristianBooks, LifeWay and Cokesbury. Previous interviews, blog posts, and guests posts will be available on the web for future readers to browse when they are trying to learn more about you. Your presentation has already been established, and therefore, so will the perception of readers when they find your info.

Think beyond the book launch and how you can build on this established platform as you incorporate it into your overall platform with new books. Authors no longer have a back list, they now have an also available list. This is the angle you need to be thinking when writing a marketing plan or planning your publicity promotions.

WELCOME TO THE NEW FACE OF HARTLINE

2012-01-19T02:58:00.000-05:00

It's after two am and Bonnie and I just finished getting the new face put on to our website and our blog. I worked on the text and the content and Bonnie applied the magic to make it all happen. She's amazing, and this old cowboy takes his hat off to her. (If you don't remember the picture, I had the pleasure of being with her when she received the Mentor of the Year award at ACFW)

One thing you will note is the fact that you shift seamlessly back and forth between the blog and the website with the same navigation bar. Pretty nifty.

We think you will find it bright and crisp, and hopefully the content is much more concise and easier to understand. If you have been to our site recently you may need to refresh your browser if a page doesn't display right, but once you have done that once it should be fine after that.

You will find a full client list, but on each agent page is a list of the clients each one of us represents. And yes, each agent has their own page now so you don't have to scroll through the whole thing looking for what you want to see.

All of the pages offered are easy to see in the pull down menus and we encourage you to prowl around and check the place out. We'd love to hear your comments on it. Take your shoes off, and make yourself at home.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT by Joyce Hart

2012-01-18T13:45:00.002-05:00

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s book A Lancaster County Christmas is #19 on the CBA Bestseller list. This is the 3^rd month it’s been on the list. It is also #44 on the ECPA top 50 Bestselling books.

A Log Cabin Christmas Collection published by Barbour and in which Jane Kirkpatrick has a story is #4 on the ECPA Fiction Bestsellers and #23 on the ECPA top 50 Bestselling books.

Suzanne’s book The Keeper, Jane’s book The Daughter’s Walk and Amanda Cabot’s book Summer of Promise are all featured in the Family Book Store catalog this month

First Pages Would You Read On? hosted by Diana Flegal

2012-01-18T13:00:00.001-05:00

The New Year has begun and many authors spent their holiday 'off time' writing, editing and rewriting their WIP. (Work in progress)

If you would like to have your First Page reviewed here some Weds, please submit it to diana@hartlineliterary.com. Place First Page Submission in the subject line of your email.

Please keep in mind we do not want material that would conflict with the Christian Worldview but will entertain, wholesome general market first pages as well as material for the Inspirational markets. We are open to nonfiction submissions as well.

Would you read on?:

At a quarter past six on the twelfth of August in Alexandria, Virginia, Kate Winston unlocked her brownstone condo in Old Town and disarmed the security alarm. With her hip she bumped open the door and stepped into the foyer. The sweltering humidity and endless hours on her feet at the mall had zapped the bounce from Kate’s auburn bangs, leaving her drained, cranky, and (now) careless. She tossed her keys into the porcelain bowl nestled on the antique credenza and began sorting mail. Had she lifted her eyes she would have seen the man’s reflection in the hallway mirror. But she did not. Instead, Kate ripped open an envelope and scanned her credit card statement.

A second later the man pounced, driving Kate into the credenza and sending the antique crockery crashing onto the Persian rug: the one she’d purchased for ten rubles at an outdoor bizarre in Islamabad. Clamping a sweaty forearm across her throat he pressed himself against Kate and growled, “Relax, sister. This’ll be fun.” But there was nothing fun about the way his hand roamed over her hip, across her skirt and down the outside of her thigh. Wiggling her right leg free, Kate lifted her foot and brought it down hard, grinding the heel of her shoe into the top of his barefoot. The assailant screamed, relaxing his grip. Not for long, but enough that Kate was able to reach inside her purse.

In a single fluid motion she whirled and fired.

The pair of silver hooks exploded from the stun gun, embedding themselves into the man’s black tee shirt and sending a rush of voltage surging through the wires. The man’s wiry body stiffened and for a few seconds he bounced on his heels, his hands twitching. Then Kate released the trigger and the attacker collapsed into a heap at her feet.

Looking for the Next Karen by Andy Scheer

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

When you've had great success at a writers conference, it makes sense to want to return. So I'm looking forward, in about six weeks, to return to the Florida Christian Writers Conference.

It's been ten years since I've been able to attend, but my memories remain strong. For years, when I was acquiring articles for Moody magazine, there were two annual conferences whose invitations I was able to accept: Mount Hermon and Florida.

While the Mount Hermon event deserved its reputation as the country's top Christian writers conference, for me the Florida conference was consistently more successful in meeting my most important reason for attending: developing and acquiring writers.

Shortly after I first arrived at the Florida conference, I was handed a stack of potential articles that conferees had submitted for critiquing. As I worked my way through the pile, four articles stood out: two by Karen and two by Elizabeth. The pieces needed work but showed great potential, so I made abundant markings in the margins and looked forward to meeting the writers.

Turns out that Karen and Elizabeth had come the previous year as newbies. Rather than being overwhelmed, they took copious notes, bought recordings of the sessions, and worked like Trojans to get their writing ready to show to editors the next year. That was when I came in.

I got to meet them, learn their stories, and coach them in their craft. And after a few years I counted them among my go-to writers—people I was sure to approach when I needed someone I could trust to pull off a particular article.

As I count the days to the March 1 to 4 event at the Lake Yale Conference Center in Leesburg, Florida, I hope to meet another Karen and another Elizabeth. There's nothing like a face to face meeting with a writer for building rapport, for coaching, and for brainstorming.

Such elite, emerging writers at any conference are few. But they're always there, and I long to meet them. But just as important are the writers with potential, but whose craft is not yet at the level I seek. Especially for their benefit, I'll also e teaching three workshops:

--Is Your Manuscript Ready to Edit? (on checking if a piece really accomplishes your goals)

--Teaching With Your Story (on using narratives in place of a didactic approach)

--Manuscript Formatting Shortcuts (on easy ways to dress your manuscript for success)

I hope to meet you there. Even if your name isn't Karen.

Little Distractions by Linda S. Glaz

2012-01-16T08:57:00.004-05:00

How on earth did I get involved in so many “other” activities than merely my writing? Words, typos, unwanted punctuation!!!

Writers fill their work with a lot of extraneous words for starters and, unfortunately, a great deal of typos. How do they make it to the publisher and past without correction?

A couple years ago when I did online reviewing, I downloaded a book that seemed to hold a lot of promise. Story was great, but layout? Not so great. The novel, while not only being filled with 60+ typos, was also full of just, that, never, always, even, and enough !!!!!! to no doubt set a record.

When I wrote the pubber and asked if they needed proofreaders, I was told they didn’t at the time-hmmmm-nonetheless, I was put on a list in case they needed anyone else. They eventually did and I became a first reader for them. Later, a final reader. Now, I realize I’m a bit anal about such things, but come on, 60+ typos in one manuscript?

What stands out to you when you read a book? Something that really scrapes your nerves faster than a cheese grater does fingers. Is it men who growl, snarl? Women who whimper and sigh? Once or twice, okay, but when that’s all they’re doing, when do they have time to live out their stories?

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT by Diana Flegal

2012-01-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Diet Guru and author Doug Varrieur, Diana's client, spoke to the viewing audience of The Daily Buzz Jan 2012 about his own successful weight loss and the 2nd edition of his book Fat to Skinny Fast and Easy. In the original Fat To Skinny Fast and Easy!, Varrieur distilled the “science” behind low-carb eating and laid out an amazingly simple system for eliminating the chief offender in weight gain: sugar. Now, in response to requests from his loyal followers, Varrieur has created an updated edition that combines his successful strategies for lifetime fitness with more than 100 yummy new, low-carb, sugar-free recipes. For added ease, each recipe has a carb count--and the book comes with an inspirational, motivational CD, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgyKqXBog-I&feature=youtu.be

Move Over Klout by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2012-01-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

Have you tried Klout? It's an online service where you give it access to all your social media accounts and it tallies up your performance at socializing and how much influence you have on others, then it rates you in comparison to others who have signed up for the service. It's absolutely FREE.

However, it does have it's criticisms, such as the company’s privacy, transparency, and how it formulates its comparisons. I'm on Klout and to be honest, I'm not sure if it is a true measurement. My scores consistently range from 50-75. At the height of my book launch campaign, I was charting 75, but the highest rank one can get is 100. It doesn't seem to be able to differentiate daily Klout measurements verses and active online campaigns, which will obviously spike a person's score. After the campaign, it seems like you fall off a cliff. Other iffy comparisons is how someone like me could have as high a score as a celebrity or brand name companies who have a much higher influence status?. Thus, are some reasons for a few new competitors who are trying to take the measurement scale a little further, and ultimately, to more accuracy.

This past fall, Kred launched and focuses on analytics and marketing tools for brands. The company pays top dollar for unique access to Twitter's tweets. It synthesizes and sorts them in communities of interests. Klout uses a method of sorting influencers by topics. While it assigns people an influence score like Klout, each point is traceable to the tweet that earned it. This is a new feature that Klout doesn't provide. Right now Klout only tells you have may retweets you received over the last 90 days, but you have no way of being able to determine which tweets were retweeted the most and when.

Another alternative is PROskore, which appears more professional as it measures influence beyond social media, such as past job titles, education, and experiences.

Have you tried any of these platform measurement tools? What are your thoughts? Do you feel something like this would be helpful to determine if you're on the right right track with your platform building goals?

Headings and page numbers, oh my! By Joyce Hart

2012-01-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

It seems so elementary to put a heading on your work and to number the pages. However, it apparently is not, especially if you haven’t been to a conference or taken an online class. Or, if you’re not in a critique group. Sometimes even experienced authors forget these two things.

Just in the last few days I have received several proposals with no heading and no page numbers. Also important is the font – nothing fancy, just Times New Roman, 12 pt. This is what the editors want and what I prefer.

We like the heading done this way: name of the book/your name and I like the page numbers in the lower right hand corner. Why do we need this information? We have lots of manuscripts in our offices. Well, some of us do, others run paperless offices. I haven’t reached that objective yet. I like to read from paper. Sometimes I’ll read a few pages on the computer, but mostly I read from paper. My eyes won’t take all that looking at the computer screen.

I’ll sign off for now on my little rant. I hope this reaches some people who forget to do these things or ones who didn’t know they needed to do them. Probably the people who need this information don’t even know about our blog.

Blessings to all,

Joyce

New Year, Fresh Beginings, and Resolutions by Diana Flegal

2012-01-11T09:59:00.011-05:00

January first is just a day on the calendar, but it offers us a chance to examine where we are and project our goals to where we want to be, spiritually, mentally, and career wise.

I like fresh starts, a change to begin anew and to make a new list of goals. My personality lends its way to lists. I get such a sense of accomplishment when I cross a task off; it gives me the incentive to tackle the next one. One of my clients, David Stearman, recently said in an FB post, "For my first job of the day, I try doing something I know will be successful; a sure thing. An early victory sets a nice tone for the coming day."

I do that with my lists. I write it according to difficulty, with the easiest one listed first.

A favorite movie of mine is, "What About Bob." I think many Christian counselors could use that movie as a tool in their sessions. The takeaway for me was: Get things done by taking baby steps.

Books are the source of much direction I receive from God. I read his word, yes. But maybe I have to have someone predigest it for me. When I read Max Lucado's, Cure for the Common Life I took notes, and took something away from it that I could apply to my life. I am better for it.

When I read Erwin McManus's Seizing Your Divine Moment, I was so excited to give myself permission to think outside the box. Love that about Erwin.

So when I enter a new year I gather books about me that I feel are going to make me a better person. Better at my job, better in my relationships, and mostly, a better daughter of God.

This January I am reading, Your 100 Day Prayer, Actively Waiting on God by John Snyder alongside of Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I just finished the novel The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook. And for my continual quest to learn more about the writing process, I am just about done reading Cec Murphey's, Unleashing the Writer Within.

In my stack are two books with bookmarks in them that I will complete as I finish these others. Life Lessons by Elisabeth Kubler Ross & David Kessler (authors of Death & Dying) and When you Don't See His Plan by Nadine Hennesey with Rebecca Baker. Other stacks wait patiently for me beside my nightstand and on my bookcase.

I am curious what titles you are reading as you enter this new year. What books have bookmarks in them on your night stand? I pray your list of goals are realistic and that you have great success in fulfilling them.

Let's Hear It for Heroes by Andy Scheer

2012-01-10T06:00:00.003-05:00

I'm old-fashioned. I desperately miss hymns in church. I don't own a smart phone (let alone an “app” for one). I still listen to LPs, and I even read books printed on paper.

And I like to read books with heroes. Not just protagonists, but the kind of POV characters that as a kid we called “good guys.” (Remember them?)

Maybe that's why my shelves are filled with various genres of action-packed novels. I love to experience adventure vicariously: on deck with Dudley Pope's Nicholas Ramage of the British Navy, in the saddle with Stephen Bly's Stuart Brannon, racing a 1904 Locomobile with Clive Cussler's Isaac Bell, or exploring an underground river with his Dirk Pitt.

And not just experience these heroes' adventures, but also their virtues. Yes, in the best of these stories, the heroes are human. They face doubts and setbacks. But with integrity, they persevere.

And because they do, more than just their fictional settings and associates come out ahead. I believe their readers do too. In a world splashed with bad news and scandals, we need heroes—people we can respect and from whom we can draw inspiration as we face our own mundane battles.

Are we too sophisticated for heroes today? I don't think so. Though I'm not much of a sports fan, I remained fixed to the screen for several hours this past Sunday as I watched the latest installment of “The Adventures of Tim Tebow—Football Hero.” In a sport plagued by stars who've succumbed to the world, the flesh, and the devil, here's a genuine hero who by the grace of God has stayed true to those values that remain long after the players leave the field.

The amount of ink and airtime devoted on Monday to the storylines behind the game show me that sportscasters—and the public—still know the power of a gripping story. Especially a story with a hero. Maybe some are cynics hoping to see him fall. But whether in real life or in fiction, I believe many of us still long to see a good guy win.

FEEDING THE WRITING ADDICTION by Linda S. Glaz

2012-01-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

Well, that gets right to the point, doesn’t it? After reading four books over the last couple days, my daughter asked me, “Mom, where do you find the time?”
I told her, “Are you kidding? Look around my house?" Do I care that there are dust bunnies procreating in every corner? Does the fact that we’re eating leftovers for the nth time push me to make a pot roast? Am I bothered by the spots I have to look through to see outside? In other words, has the health department shut me down yet? No…so I’m still good to go.

Seriously (for those who don’t want to believe the truth above) I am willing to read, edit, write, and read some more to the exclusion of almost anything else, with the exception of family and an occasional load of wash.

I waited until my kids were pretty much grown to pursue my writing. I allowed stories to toss around in gray matter while scrubbing the toilet bowl, fill my mind day to day as I dashed about the soccer field, awaken me at night in all their wonderful glory. And then, one day, I sat down with a legal pad and put some of those tales to paper.

I have never regretted my decision to allow writing to take over my life. There were so many characters living in my head that sooner or later some of them had to come out willingly or I had to pursue serious medication to force them to leave. And now, I have the added pleasure of sharing other folks’ works, helping them push the squatters from their minds to the page. I don't find writing to be what some describe as a lonely or singular endeavor. There are so many wonderful characters to meet and mold. (or do they mold me? Hmmmmmm…)

At any rate, the pleasure is all mine. Even if none of them grace a cover from Zondervan, Multnomah, or Abingdon, my characters live. They have told their stories to a readership of one. They crawled from my head to my fingertips with love, and I’ll continue to tell their stories, even if only to this readership of one.

January & Marketing Plans by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2012-01-06T11:33:00.003-05:00

Regardless of whether you're pre-published or published, January is the perfect time to create a marketing plan for the year. A plan helps you evaluate where you are and prompts you to think about where you want to be at the end of next year. Otherwise, you're just floating along and hoping to make progress without really being deliberate, consistent, or strategic.

If you have new books coming out, you probably have a book launch campaign and you could incorporate that into your overall plan, but don't let your campaign be your only plan. There are some basic steps you can incorporate into your daily routine that will build your platform while you write the next book. If you're pre-published and you aren't yet doing any speaking engagements, radio talk shows or book signings, I'll be you're online and could benefit from a marketing plan that would increase your social media platform.

It isn't necessary to hire a professional publicist to create your marketing plan unless you're published and at the stage where you need to take your platform to the next level. If you've never written a Marketing Plan, you can start out with something basic, depending on how much time, money and effort you want to put into your marketing plan. No boiler-plate marketing plan is going to work for everyone. We are all different, our schedules vary, our talents unique, and our books are in various niches. The marketing plan you create for 2012 may not be the best one for you in 2013.

Below are some basic categories I would suggest to start.

Book Launch Campaigns - If you have any new books coming out this year.
Internet Presence - This is your home place on the web. It's usually your domain location whether it be a static website or a daily/weekly blog.
Traditional Media - TV and radio shows, newspapers and magazines, and places to distribute media releases.
Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube, as well as online forums.
Digital Media - Blog interviews, e-zines, podcasts, videos, and video book trailers.
Speaking Engagements - Conferences, workshops, webinars, video conferencing, Skype and Google+ presentations.
Book Signings & Readings - Some of these are just signings and others allow authors to provide a reading, offer Q & A, or give brief presentations.
Print Publications - Graphic Design and printing of bookmarks, flyers, business cards, postcards, signs, banners, magnets, and memorabilia.

If you noticed, I've absorbed Public Relations into Traditional, Social and Digital Media. It's started taking on different forms these days, but should be utilized in all three mediums as needed. Have you created your marketing plan for 2012?

2011 was a good year by Terry Burns

2012-01-05T06:00:00.012-05:00

I’ve been with Hartline for ten years in February (2/13/02), have been an agent there for five years of that time (10/18/2006), and have been involved in writing and publishing (primarily business oriented) for some twenty years before that time, before I turned to writing fiction and recognized the need for an agent. . Starting a new year seems like a good time to look back over the past year and see how it shook out.

Photo is me with Bonnie Calhoun at ACFW as she received the "Mentor of the Year" Award.

The numbers tell a lot of the story. I ended the year with 61 clients and have done 119 book contracts for them, 23 of them multi-book contracts. That means that 71% of my clients have published since signing with me. That is certainly no record, but it’s not a bad average. I went through over 3400 submissions to select these clients, again surely not a record, but it feels like a lot.

But the numbers don’t tell the entire story. I do work with a large number of new writers and I’m usually in the number one spot on the list of agents placing debut authors on the Publishers Marketplace website. That also means I work with more small publishers than some in helping these debut authors get their start. I get a lot of pleasure out of helping new writers get started.

I do an occasional contract with a client for a single book, but most Hartline clients sign for “all book length work.” That means we are more interested in helping them develop their career, not just sell a book. I helped Jennifer Hudson Taylor get her first book in print and now she has eight books in print or under contract. Max Elliot Anderson had a number of books in print but his publisher went out of business. We were able to find a publisher that would reissue those books and he has gone on to have 17 ‘books for (reluctant reader) boys’ in print or under contract and is still going strong. While with me Jill Williamson won a Christy with her “By Darkness Hid” and though she no longer uses an agent has gone on to win a second Christy.

I require that my clients all be in an online group that gives me an opportunity to contact all of them at once. They do have the option of being in the side of the group that can talk to one another or the side that only receives priority messages from me. The full access side have become very close to one another and have also turned out to be a group of prayer warriors that support one another, celebrate each other’s successes and support each other when projects don’t get picked up. It’s an amazing group.

Just as Joyce got me started in the business I have worked with a number of assistants and some have gone on to an expanded role in the publishing industry. Two have formed small publishing houses that are growing by leaps and bounds. Kristine Pratt founded Written World Communications, and Randall Mooney Crossover Publications. Linda Glaz went from being an assistant to becoming a Hartline agent in her own right, and two, Tammy Barley and Normandie Fischer became editors at Written World. Jennifer Hudson Taylor is now the in-house publicist at Hartline and is getting her own publicist company established as well. I have some new assistants working with me now.

What does the future hold? We have several hundred submissions out for clients and spend a huge amount of time trying to identify that editor that we feel is a good potential fit for a project. The economy may have a lot to do with the amount of success we can expect to see. Changes in the industry have a lot to do with it as well and we work hard to keep our clients positioned on the cutting edges of changes that are occurring, particularly with digital books. Change has always been the hallmark of the publishing industry, but I don’t remember a time when it was as pronounced or as fast moving as it is now.

Verbal Fitness by Andy Scheer

2012-01-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

If the ads in your newspapers this weekend were anything like the ones in mine, you couldn't miss the message. It's a new year—time to get in shape. You've indulged yourself too long. Now buy this gadget (like the kind you see everywhere at garage sales) and you'll become slim and happy.

If only it were that easy. Our lifestyle (with the physique it produces) consists of countless tiny habits. Try to change them all at once and we're doomed to fail. But focus on one or two little things, and maybe there's hope.

The same goes for our writing. Extra words can easily creep into our prose—then go unnoticed as we edit. What's the harm? But sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter, they add up. Those extra, superfluous, unnecessary, redundant words—that duplicate a point you've already made—act like verbal flab.

So in case your New Year's fitness resolution includes more vigorous writing, let me highlight two habits that often bloat our prose:

● Subtle redundancies. He blinked his eyes. (What else would he blink?) She paced back and forth. (Not up and down?) Sometimes we even write triples: He unlocked the door with the key in his hand. Unless your character is a burglar or a spy, why add obvious details?

● Double dialogue attributions. If the context doesn't already tell your readers who is speaking, then supplement the spoken words with either a dialogue tag (Melanie said) or a “beat”/action tag (Melanie put on her coat). But don't make a habit of using both: “Let's take a walk,” Melanie said, putting on her coat.

Two little writing habits—easy to catch as you edit your drafts.

Try looking for just one in your writing this week. Then next week. And even the week after. It might become a new habit. Then instead of having to wear baggy sweats, your prose just might look good in Spandex.

Discusson of Blogs by Linda Glaz

2012-01-02T00:05:00.001-05:00

There's been a lot of discussion lately on the importance or lack thereof of blogs. How do you all feel about blogging? Do you see promotion of your work, your sites, your ability to reach out or is blogging simply another obstacle to your writing?

Obviously, you want others to go to your blog, comment, help you draw their readers from their blogs to yours. Do you go to the other blogs or do you get "blogged down" with all the sites you need to visit?

Does blogging distract you from the immediate issue at hand? Your writing time...

Have you done a professional blog site? Are the results worth the time? Are you concerned with numbers, or the level of bloggers who follow you? In other words, are you a blog "snob" crunching numbers and name dropping?

Just thought I'd throw this out there and see whether you do or don't put much emphasis on blogs. Be part of the discussion. Care to share any thoughts?

Utlizing the Subscribe Button on Facebook by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2011-12-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

Along with Facebook's new Timeline, people now have the option of allowing others to Subscribe to their Facebook profile without accepting them as friends and allowing them to have access to their entire profile. This is perfect for authors who may not have set up their Author Page on Facebook, or for those who don't want to keep up with both a profile and an Author Page.

You can set some posts for only friends to view or to public for those who subscribe to your posts. You have more control over your content and how it's shared. Also, if you block a person, that individual will not be allowed to subscribe to your profile, so it's a win-win situation.

Here's the thing, way too many people have set their bios and all their personal info to private. How can someone know if they want to subscribe to your profile, if you don't tease them with something about you? Make sure you at least post a public bio and give them something to go by in determining if they want to subscribe to your page. You don't have to give up all your life's secrets, but you can share something.

I'm constantly getting friend requests from people who don't allow anyone to see anything about them. I'd like to know if they are Christian, if we have any similar likes or dislikes, if they are writers or readers or someone who just happens to be looking for friends and networking. Tell me who YOU are. Don't be so obscure. You can't build a platform on obscurity.

This simple act will increase your chances of subscribers, especially if you plan to use your profile as a
way to build your platform and connect with other people who you don't personally know.

What about you? Have you enabled the Subscribe button yet?

Personally, I haven't enabled the Subscribe button on my page since I've already established an Author Page on Facebook.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT by Joyce Hart

2011-12-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

My client, Jane Kirkpatirck, has a story in "Log Cabin Christmas" which is #7 on the CBA bestseller list for January 2012. Another client, Suzanne Woods Fischer is in the #16 spot with her "A Lancaster County Christmas." Diana Flegal is the agent of record on Loree Lough's "Love Finds You in North Pole Alaska" which is in the #11 position. Our sincere congratulations to these authors on their success.

New Years Resolutions by Terry Burns

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?

That’s the traditional way to greet the New Year. Personally, I think the only time I have kept such a resolution is when I resolved not to make any more dang fool resolutions. In our family it was eating black-eyed peas and sauerkraut to welcome the New Year and bring us luck. Well, actually the sauerkraut wasn’t in there, it came from my wife’s side of the family.

We do these things not because we think they will bring us luck but out of tradition. I don’t believe in Luck, I believe in being in God’s favor. Trusting in luck leaves God out of the equation.

All right, if I don’t believe in luck and don’t make resolutions, then starting a New Year is no big deal, right? I wouldn’t say that. Putting the old year behind us and facing the new one with hope and anticipation is a good thing. To me the mechanism for looking forward is not a resolution, but a to-do list.

This is nothing new, there is always a to-do list. Life is good when we are making progress working down the things on our list. Stress comes when the list starts mounting and we don’t seem to be making progress. When that happens it is often because the things on our list are too big, and they are overwhelming us. They need to be broken down into smaller tasks that are achievable.

Writing a book is too big. It needs to be broken into a time period in which we will write a couple of thousand words. Loosing weight is too big, it needs to be losing a couple of pounds in a certain time. Those chores around the house need to be achievable, or broken down.

And some things don’t belong on the list. I smile on a lot of the manuscripts I receive. The plot develops until the protagonist is forced to their knees, forced to admit that they simply cannot resolve the problem facing them. It is written in such as way as if the author has just figured that out for the first time. Probably not, but that might be the case. There are some things we will not make headway on until we admit they are beyond us and we can only turn them over to God.

But lists are immortal. We can never work them off. If we think we have, we look and find there are new items we just haven’t placed there yet. A list is never gone until we die, and even then, someone else has to take what is left on OUR list and add it to THEIR list.

As we face a New Year I hope you have the right things on your list, meaningful and achievable things, and I hope you make wonderful progress in getting them done. That’s what makes a good year.

Authentic Voice by Diana Flegal

2011-12-28T08:44:00.004-05:00

As we head into a New Year we often look at how we can step up our game and become better at what we do for the Glory of God. For writers and agents alike this means learning new skills and honing our craft.

Networking is a word that makes many of us cringe. This past year I found myself paddling fast to keep up. Technology seems to always be one step ahead.

In proposal's of old, an author would state; "I will develop a website at the time of contract which I will use to promote my book'. Several years ago, authors had to step up their game and prepare a website as they pitched their titles. Agents and editors then asked authors to blog and network. FB has become the standard connection in author communities and twitter book signings a the new virtual tool. Blog tours and guest blogging are something an author must be willing to be a part of.

As I considered highlighting the one thing I felt would be most helpful to my clients and the readers of our blog heading into the New Year, I received a book in the mail from New York Times bestselling author Cecil Murphey titled; Unleash the Writer Within.

Real, Transparent, Gutsy and Straightforward, Cec's title asks a pivotal question each writer needs to ask themselves, whether beginning their writing journey or mid career. Why Do You Write? Is your answer gut level honest or profound sounding but untrue.

"If you believe you have a gift to write, consider it the foundation on which you build. You still need to learn the skills to express what you want to say".

Cec admits to writing, "to find out who I am".
In his writers workshops, Cec has found the real reason writers write is rarely ever, "to make money".

"Everything you write reveals something about who you are- even your attempts at self-concealment. Your most honest writing becomes your best writing."

Wishful, magical thinking will not make you a good writer."We need to continue improving our writing skills but in the process we can't forget who we are. If we do, our voices become lifeless. The words may sound beautiful, but they will not express our true selves."

If you desire to discover who you are, develop your voice, learn to write with heart, become authentic to your readers, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Cec's book.

You have unique stories to tell the world, teachings and words that will inspire and encourage others. So what are you waiting for? It is time to unleash the writer within!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Faith Comes by Hearing by Andy Scheer

2011-12-27T06:00:00.004-05:00

Don't look now, but January is almost here. And with it—for many of us—comes our yearly opportunity to read those monumental opening words of Genesis as we begin our annual Bible read-through.

I've been doing this for more than a dozen years, so allow me to pass along a few tips:

● Establish a routine. Over the years I've done my daily Bible reading on a Chicago Transit Authority El train, during lunch, at my desk during break times … the key is finding a time and place that usually fits your schedule.

● Be flexible. Sometimes life happens. If you miss a few days, keep going. Catch up if you can, but don't get discouraged and quit. This year after finishing John's gospel, I decided not to move on to Acts. Instead, I went back to the beginning of Matthew for another run through the gospels.

● Follow a memorable plan. After a few years trying to follow plans that specified various daily readings from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, I found one that made more sense for me. Starting in Genesis, I read straight through. Reading just three chapters daily and five on Sunday gets you there. You don't need a complicated schedule, just a bookmark.

● Listen as you read. A few years ago at a convention I received a “GoBible.” This dedicated MP3 player, which contains an audio version of the entire Bible, has revolutionized my daily reading. Even when the narrator gets to the “boring parts”—you know what those are—he never misses a beat. Same with those hard-to-pronounce names. As I listen, I also follow along in a text version—sometimes the same translation, sometimes not.

● Listen online. This feature may have been available for years, but I noticed it only recently. Besides the texts of various versions of Scripture, the website BibleGateway.com also offers audio of six of those English translations. Whether you listen online or with a gadget, the audio doubles the input you receive and helps keep you on task.

● Tell a friend. Especially if you're new to this, find a friend who will read through the Scriptures with you. If you don't need the accountability, perhaps your friend will.

SNOWBOUND by Linda S. Glaz

2011-12-26T09:12:00.002-05:00

Well, the weather never disappoints. There is always one area in the country that gets more than the white Christmas it was hoping for. Some folks don’t arrive at their destinations, others spend Christmas in a motel or find sleeping accommodations in an airport chair. We miss birthdays, weddings, holidays, graduations. The list goes on and on. Because nature is unpredictable. That is what makes it so exciting.

Our stories, when done well, will include “unpredictable” for many reasons. Bits and pieces to add realism, huge amounts to move suspense along, astronomical unpredictability to create an entire theme. Anyone remember Armageddon? White Christmas? Twister? Do you consider weather for your novel beyond the tired, old “it was a dark and stormy night?”

For baby boomers, The Shining must resonate. Without the snow, Jack Nicholson would have given us almost no reason to believe his cabin fever, but with a world of nothing but white, one could easily see his clacking at the typewriter tap tap tapping his mind to mush.

Bing Crosby’s White Christmas would have come up drastically short if the snow had not finally come along with huge flakes and a solution to the general’s bad business decision.

Tastes, smells, sights and sound all play into a good story. But do you remember to include weather to heighten believability? Would the scene below have worked on a bright, shiny day? Or does the subtle hint of bad weather move the bad guy's creepiness along?

Kyle checked his black dollar-store watch again and shivered. He slapped his arms to ward off blasts of cold seeping through the threadbare jacket. A city bus rumbled past and his thoughts fixated on the blown up photo of Rochelle on the side. Bile filled his throat while his ragged fingernails dug into his palms.

Every other day this week, she’d left by now. What was keeping her? Her car, still parked in the back of the lot, indicated she must be working late.

Maybe she’d read his letter already. Maybe she was wondering if he would call her and try to meet her. He shuddered, fantasizing about what he’d like to do to her.

Kyle looked up. Clouds rolled in, their sketchy outlines visible through the deepening darkness. He smiled at his good fortune.

Ongoing ice and snow had kept traffic light on Greater Mack, normally busy this time of year with early Christmas shoppers trampling each other for Black Friday bargains. Evergreens and red ribbons covered the light posts. He sneered at the wasted effort, crushing a discarded candy cane under his foot. Who cared about Christmas anyway? Christmas existed for gullible children and greedy storeowners.

No time for that now. He had to stay focused.

A shiver riveted the thin jacket to his spine.

Colonial Christmas Dessert Recipes by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

2011-12-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a time for tradition. Since I write historical Christian fiction, I'm always looking for Christmas traditions that I can include in my stories or share with my family, but have real historical value. I wanted to share a couple of colonial Christmas dessert recipes I came across. Merry Christmas!

Hasty Pudding

Exact amounts were not given in my booklet so you you might have to experiment. Bring a container of water and some salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowly pour in some yellow cornmeal, stirring all the while til the mix becomes thick enough so a spoon will stand up in it. Laddle the pudding into 3-4 small bowls. Drop some butter onto each portion, then sprinkle on ground nutmeg and some molasses. Serve hot.

Buttered Bakes Apples

Peel and core the apples, leaving them whole. Carefully butter a heavily-tinned plate and arrange the apples on it. Fill the holes left by the cores with powdered sugar, and sprinkle the apples with melted butter, then bake twenty minutes. Put a small amount of current jelly in each of the cores.

Merry Christmas from Joyce.

2011-12-22T16:19:00.001-05:00

Christmas is a special time in our family. It’s always busy with the various church services and getting the house ready for our family who will be here on Christmas day. We are looking forward to the Christmas Eve service at our church and the worship service on Christmas Day. After all worshipping our Savior is what this season is all about.

It’s a time of remembering past Christmases. Missing our loved ones, especially our mothers, who have gone on to Heaven before us. Remembering the good pies both our mothers baked and the chicken & noodles, homemade bread, fried pies, fudge and other goodies. My daughter-in-law does the baking now and I cook the dinner usually. This year my two sons are cooking dinner.

As our family gathers together at our home we will have dinner and then we’ll open presents. First though, Jim will read the Christmas story from Luke 2. We are blessed to have our whole family with us.

2011 has been a good year for Hartline Literary Agency in spite of my surgery and recovery from a broken hip and broken arm. Thanks to Diana & Terry, along with help from Bonnie on the web site, everything went along pretty normally. Diana moved to Ashville, NC and Kathy Myers is my new assistant here in the Pittsburgh Office. I’m thankful to my clients who stuck with me through all of this hospitalization and therapy. God is so good. We added two new agents in 2011 and we will be adding a Children’s agent in 2012. We will make a formal announcement on January 2, 2012.

Last night at our Wednesday night service one of our pastors asked us to reflect on this past year. What came to my mind was “God is Faithful.” I have been so blessed this year by the body of Christ. I have had so much help from Christian friends through this tough time. I can’t begin to thank everyone and the Lord enough for all the love and support I have had. People brought food; friends came to our home and stayed with me while Jim made hospital calls and did other ministry duties. And of course I’m thankful for my wonderful husband. who has been there right by my side, helping me and taking care of me. It has been awesome.

I pray that all of you who read our blog will have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I am sure that many have had trials and troubles in 2011. May God keep, bless and prosper you in the coming year.

Christmas Past by Terry Burns

2011-12-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas used to mean a pilgrimage to Grandma's house.

Those days are still very special to me and were the subject of this little poem that I penned several years ago when thinking of those special times:

Christmas at my Grandma’s house was there ever such a time?

And I a button scarcely large enough that I could climb

Upon the wing of Grandpa’s rocker, feet upon the rail

And watch him smoke his pipe & smile as I told him many a tale.

Christmas at my Grandma’s house and the tree would reach the ceiling.

The smell of cooking filled the air & the world was bright with feeling.

From the height we looked the presents stacked more than halfway up the tree.

And came back down near half the wall, and many of them for me!

Christmas at my Grandma’s house, and music filled the air.

Uncle Ray’s piano shook the room as he played without a care.

Uncle Bills fiddle took it high, Daddy’s guitar filled it in;

We kids supplied the chorus, though maybe a little thin.

Christmas at my Grandma’s house, but we always had to wait

For Uncle Edgar to get back home from the shopping trip he’d take.

We kids would gather round his door and try to peek inside

As he wrapped those final presents while the smallest of us cried.

Christmas at my Grandma’s house, and how excitement grew!

For though the gifts cost not too great neither were they too few.

As parents, aunts, uncles & cousins all bought something small

For each kid, and our eyes bugged out as our stack grew oh so tall!

Christmas at my Grandma’s house, and little did I know

That I was filling my heart so full of love that through the years would go.

I still recall and see it clear, the faces plain as day

And though I live a hundred years, I’ll always feel this way.

For Christmas at my Grandma’s house is a fairy tale in time!

When love and laughter filled the air and everyone felt just fine.

It cannot be repeated, nor would I if I might;

For our own have been as special, but still there was that night....

When Christmas at my Grandma’s house made all the world seem right.

But now I would remember, and have YOU see that sight.

And as you celebrate this year comes this vision from the past

And I hope this time is just as good and hope these joys do last.

Yet above all of the wonderful times with family and friends we must be ever mindful that the reason for the season is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas to you one and all . . . . .

A Merry Christmas Note from Diana

2011-12-21T05:24:00.004-05:00

Last week our First Page Would You Read on was brought to you by Hartline's own, Linda Glaz from her published title: Polar Bear Plunge. (White Rose Publishing) I personally enjoyed reading the sweet Holiday Romance and felt it complimented the many Christmas Movies I watched on TV this holiday season.

I am a Romantic at Heart, and love happy endings, yet life doesn't always provide them. Romance novels have soared to new sales heights the past three to four years and Christian Publishing is no different. Many times it is the Romance novel carrying the Publishing houses, helping them make payroll.

I have a hypothesis as to why this phenomenon (according to Webster: a significant fact or event) is taking place. And it might surprise a few of you more studious verse quoting characters that have never read a romance novel and just might not think too highly of their value.

God is Love and He initiated His love to us in providing for us a Saviour. He sent his Own Son down to us by way of a Virgin, to be born in a manger, but brought up in a family. Jesus Christ dwelt among men, ate with them, drank with them. He celebrated at weddings and wept at funerals with those he called His friends. And then He gave the ultimate gift of Himself for us, laid down His life, so that through His death, we might have Life everlasting. Such Love. There is no equal to it.

We were designed in the image of God. He placed in us a huge capacity for love. Agape love is one we seek for, pray for and yield ourselves to the spirit to gain. Agape love demonstrates our friendship with Jesus (John 15:14), and expresses our Christian love toward God (1 John 5:1-3).

Brotherly love, “phileo”, grows amongst us as we fellowship together 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” —1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)

In a marriage relationship, the dominant fire of eros gradually gives ground to the mature phileo of affection. Phileo becomes the cement that bonds and holds families together over the long haul.

When the world's economy goes topsy turvy, and the stress of daily life pressures us, we turn to a light-hearted read as an escape. With a Christian romance novel, we can read of people much like us, grappling with daily life situations and resolving their problems in a loving exemplary way. I have read of those who walked away from God for a season, turning back to him after reading a light 'inspirational' romance. There have been others that have sought out a friend or a church and came to Christ because of the 'provoking' of God conscientiousness awakening from their reading.

During this season, may we extend our love to others as Christ did to us. We were unlovely but He saw worth in us, made the ultimate sacrifice, and desires to 'fellowship' with us. Share a Christian Romance novel with someone you love that is searching. It just might reveal to them that God loves them and light their path to salvation.

Merry Christmas. May you find all you seek in the person of Jesus Christ. God's son, through whom He initiated His Great Love toward us.